A teardown may finally be iminent for the Pittsburgh Penguins. After a 3-5-1 start to the 2026-27 season, Pittsburgh has shared their desire to move out veteran forwards to create space for promising youngsters, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shared on the latest Saturday Headlines. No specific names were mentioned, though Pittsburgh has to be excited by the red-hot start from both Avery Hayes and Rutger McGroarty in the minor-leagues. Both wingers have nine points in six games to start the year, while Mikhail Ilyin (seven points), Tristan Broz (six points), Bill Zonnon and Jake Livanavage (five points) have all impressed behind them.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have built up a wealth of offensive power with their refreshed lineup. After starting the year averaging just 3.11 goals-per-game, Pittsburgh will hope to add those scoring boosts sooner rather than later. Calvert brought a notable spark to the NHL lineup last season, while both McGroarty and Broz could find better fortunes with an established role in the top-nine. The speedster Ilyin and top prospect Zonnon would receive the first call-up of their careers with a move to Pittsburgh, offering exciting opportunity to two capable scorers.
While the prospects in waiting are clear, it’s tougher to answer who Pittsburgh could move. The Penguins acquired Nicholas Robertson, Hendrix Lapierre, and Andrei Kuzmenko over the summer. That trio has rotated around second-year pro Benjamin Kindel to start the year, cementing one of Pittsburgh’s four forward lines. Thomas Novak is off to a red-hot start – leading the offense with seven points in nine games – while Blake Lizotte is a fan favorite down the lineup. That leaves Elmer Soderblom, Connor Dewar, and the injured Justin Brazeau as the expendable trio throughout the offense.
Soderblom is unlikely to garner trade attention with just 32 points in 110 career NHL games. Dewar could spark intrigue among teams looking for a bottom-line grinder. He has two points and two penalty minutes in nine games this season and reached a career-high 30 points in 78 games during his first season in Pittsburgh last year. He could offer shrewd, and cheap, upside for playoff-hopefuls looking to round out their lineup.
Brazeau is likely to be the most alluring trade chip. He broke out with 17 goals and 34 points in 64 games last season in just his third full year at the NHL level. The start of his 2026-27 season has been delayed due to a lower-body injury that currently has him dubbed out week-to-week. While his NHL career is slim, teams could see the 28 year old as a cheap bet on scoring, capable of filling out a third-line role.
Pittsburgh could find a bolder trade in shifting top winger, and routine partner to Sidney Crosby, Bryan Rust. The 34 year old has only scored three goals through six games this season and looks one step behind his past performances. He would be likely to garner serious interest on the open market after posting 65 points in each of the last two seasons. Rust has averaged 27 goals and 58 points per 82 games across his 13-year career in the NHL. He could net Pittsburgh an impressive return, while also opening up a premium lineup spot next to Crosby and Rickard Rakell.
In the spirit of moving sputtering top-line wingers, Pittsburgh could also entertain trades for Rakell, who has just two points on the year so far. Like Rust, Rakell is likely to garner serious interest after scoring 48 points last year and 70 points in 2024-25. He is a versatile scorer who could elevate the top-six of many teams across the league, while leaving behind a fantastic lineup spot for Pittsburgh’s promising youngsters.
Moving either Rust or Rakell would mark a philosophical shift for the Penguins – finally moving on from a veteran-heavy top-six, into a group headlined by rookies learning from Pittsburgh legends. Those moves could land the Penguins a heap of future assets, at the cost of putting even more pressure on youngsters to find their scoring quickly. With a resurgence from McGroarty, and a hot start from Zonnon, making a bold bet has become a bit easier over the first month of the season.